Three weeks ago, just an hour after Reading had heaped more misery on Queens Park Rangers' season with a 3-2 win the Capital One Cup, Mark Hughes stood in the drafty corridor in the main stand at Loftus Road and was asked how he copes with the pressure of a season which has the West London club in an unwanted freefall.

"Hard work," said Hughes, who is something of a phlegmatic character. "And staying true to what we believe."

The "we" to which Hughes was referring was the "Taff-ia" who make his coaching entourage - fellow Welshmen Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedwiecki. Goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock was born in Canning Town but he probably qualifies for membership of the clan through occasional visits to the Prince of Wales pub in nearby Shoreditch.

"The secret is not to get carried away when things are going well or do anything different when they are not," said Hughes who knows just a bit about handling tough situations in which expectations are high.

It is not possible to survive at Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea as a player or to take Blackburn to respectability, Wales to the verge of their first major finals since 1958 and deal with the politic-fest that is Manchester City as a manager, unless you are blessed with a thick skin.

So ahead of Sunday's clash with Everton at Loftus Road, it is unlikely that Hughes will adopt anything but his "business-as-usual" approach. He will not be pushing any panic buttons.

No-one knows better than Hughes the importance of securing the first win of the season and like every other manager at a club currently struggling, he is aware of the considerable shadow cast by currently out-of-work Harry Redknapp. Glances over the shoulder are now common-place from Leicester to the South Coast via West London while Redknapp stays unemployed

Don't look now! Someone's trying to show the league table to Tony Fernandes

But there is not a huge difference between the cluster of teams that make up the bottom six in the Premier League and no-one is more aware of that than Hughes. And along with QPR, the fans of Reading and Norwich have still to witness a league win. Hughes's team are also just four points off 14th place.

Hughes has been in tougher spots in his career and survived. To even talk about the sack before the clocks go back is folly and Tony Fernandes, the power at the club, knows that. Just a little time and patience and Hughes can turn it around.

All the same, he will probably be glad when 'Arry gets a job. Just in case.

In defence of James Tomkins

James Tomkins: what's a boy to do (Photo: Getty)

Sam Allardyce has done so much right at West Ham so there can few complaints from the Upton park regulars.

Just one query, however. How can he not find a regular place in the team for James Tomkins?